Sunday, May 26, 2013

Ingredients, Schmedients

Family photo...most of the primary dry ingredients I use in baking (of course Mascarpone is an exception in this snapshot and the shelf-stable whipping cream has a six-month longevity).

When I started baking from scratch, I really understood that
the quality of what went into the cupcakes had a direct effect on the quality
of the finished product.While, this is definitely
not a new concept, I think the immediacy of the results caught my
attention.Instead of checking for
quality results “down the road,” I was able to see the outcome of my choices
right away. Holds true for more than just cupcakes, right?

Applying this paradigm to life, relationships, recovery,
parenting, education means… what I invest by way of “ingredients” into my path has
a significant impact on my journey.I
think my head knew this, but I don’t know if my heart had captured it.I feel like the answer is yes in some areas
and not-so-sure with other experiences.

Sooo…butter is a quality ingredient.It’s different from margarine and oleo (I
love this word; my grandmother’s handwritten recipes almost always call for
oleo margarine).I use salted butter because I
don’t want to miss an opportunity to add flavor.Other bakers will swear by unsalted
butter.Chef’s choice.Someone asked me a few weeks ago if I noticed
any taste difference between American butter and German butter.I don’t.Maybe it’s the salt.:p

Oil.I have used corn
oil, canola oil, a blend of oils, but never olive oil nor any nut oils.In my mind, olive oil is for savory dishes.

Flour. I use Gold Medal All-Purpose flour most of the
time. When a recipe calls for cake
flour, I use Pillsbury Softasilk.Cake
flour has less protein and produces a light, moist, fine crumbly cake.German flour is categorized by number
according to the flour compound.Cake
flour is not available in Germany but a close cousin would be Flour 405 with Flour 550 being similar to all-purpose.Yeah.I get it.I didn’t want to know this either.

Sugar.Thank heavens
we can agree on granulated sugar…or can we?German and American granulated white sugar seems to be quite
similar.In researching recipes here in
Europe, many call for caster sugar; this is a baking sugar somewhere between
granulated white sugar and powdered sugar; it is available in the States and
labeled superfine sugar.Most recipes with this ingredient come out of the UK.I want to ask my Irish friend if she grew up
using caster sugar but don’t want to expose my ignorance to the politics of the
Irish and the English.When did baking
become political?
Brown sugar? Hardly used with cakes; it is necessary for making caramel sauce and some frosting.

Powdered sugar.Also
known as confectioner’s sugar or icing sugar.I hope we can agree on its deliciousness and its airborne quality to
stick to most anything once released from the cartoon.In German stores, this product is sold in
boxes about 1/3 the size of the smallest box available in the US.This explains sooo much.

Vanilla.My favorite
ingredient and the most in need of an upgrade.If your pantry is host to vanilla extract that is not from Mexico…do your taste buds a favor and throw out the
impostor.In 1993, when we were living
in Satellite Beach, Florida, we were given a 32oz glass bottle of dark Mexican
vanilla.It.was.amazing. And I was sad
when it was all gone.In 2013 and baking
was pulling me back from the edge, I remembered that Mexican vanilla.I knew there was something better for my
cupcakes… quality ingredients going into the batter ups the chance for quality results.Online shopping lead me to Global Goods; they
offer dark Mexican vanilla and clear Mexican vanilla.Say
whaaaaa?Yes!Clear vanilla does not add color to vanilla
buttercream frosting and allows it to
stay closer to white without adding white food coloring.The best flavors available plus an improvement in color.I’m gonna need a barrel full of this stuff…or
maybe a starter 32oz bottle – in dark and clear. And it only took six weeks to
get here.Yep, that was snarky. And,
yeah – I’m grateful as hell to have it!

Other stuff happens in the form that is needed and at just
the right time.The same goes for the
other little bits of ingredients that makes each cupcake special in its own
unique way.

I’ve learned that I was attached to the results – in my life
and in my cupcakes.I feel it's a
better idea to recognize for myself what I’ve been sharing with clients and
sponsees.I am powerless over other
people, places, and institutions (and cupcakes) and only have an itty bitty amount
of control over me (and then only sometimes).